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Steve Rubel at Micro Persuasion blog highlights three key trends that will shape our future media landscape:
1) The Attention Crash
2) Social Networks Become “Like Air”
3) Google: The Reputation Engine
These trends, and more, are discussed in a report (pdf here) from the North American New Media Academic Summit hosted by Edelman in June.
It has always seemed to be a close race between Dish and DirecTV satellite networks, but lately it appears DirecTV is pulling ahead (see Business Week article). According to the BW article, here’s the reason:
“How did pay-TV’s most aggressive player arrive at this juncture? By failing to see the world changing around him. Ergen [Dish Network’s CEO], 55, focused on keeping costs low (he famously requires executives to share hotel rooms on business trips) and declined to bid for the pro football and Nascar programming that DirecTV offers exclusively to sports-loving satellite subscribers. He skimped on marketing even as DirecTV and the cable and phone companies hired actors and star athletes to hawk their services. He missed the high-definition revolution, concentrating instead on flashy technology, such as set-top boxes that can control TVs in two separate rooms. DirecTV, meanwhile, lured new subscribers with dozens more channels in crystal-clear high-definition.”
Dish Network’s actions seem like an object lesson in how to fail. They missed the mark on both technology and marketing.
It’s easy to find evidence that supports the newspapers-will-wither-and-die argument, but I’ve always been skeptical. So Shel Holtz’s recent stance – that we’ll be able to buy a newspaper from a rack on the street in 10 years – immediately grabbed my attention. He’s so confident that he has wagered $100 with Jose Leal.
A recent Nielsen report pointed out that Americans are watching more TV than ever before in their homes: 127 hours and 15 minutes per month. Unfortunately, that time is being spent over more and more choices. The report points out that two-thirds of American homes now receive digital cable or satellite signals for an average choice of 160 channels. The study also shows that 25 percent of homes now have DVR capabilities that enable consumers to time-shift programming and/or to skip over advertisements.
The 2008 Beijing Olympic Games will not just be about sports, they will be about sponsors trying to create a super-brand using online marketing. These Olympic Games are expected to be unlike any other, and it still remains to be seen whether the standout will be for “Brand China” or for the sponsors’ brand campaigns.